Animal shelter

Today I assembled the new furniture for the cats. During this time, the box was laid down on the floor to let the kitties play with it.
When everything was completed, i took the camera, and took a small video about how they overrun the "scratching post".
And than i was able to take a photo about our younger cat, Mazsola (her name is Raisins).

One comment to this picture. It was a happy moment, she was inside the box, and played "Where is the kitty?" But when i opened the picture in Lightroom, i saw an another possibility in it.

And the comment is about it. It's almost Xmas. So, if you can, please choose a nearby animal shelter, and help them a little bit. A small amount of money could mean a lot for them. Some food, or medicine during the hard cold winter could save lives... 

Cut, Cut, Cut.

It's all about cutting. I have to confess i was amazed when I see an alternate framing on one of my picture. The funny thing that the cropping was made by Facebook. I took some photos during a new band's concert. I've sent the best 100 pictures for them, and they uploaded to their band profile. I've checked the pictures, just to know that the watermarks are still in place.
And than. Facebook made an automatic crop (thumbnail view of the whole album) which actually made my picture better.
Just to show what i'm talking about.
The original:

And how facebook modified it?

Almost a CD cover. Well, i would be happy if they would use my picture as a cover. :)

Meanwhile i'm in a big project now. I'll try to create my own DIY beauty dish, to let me have the chance on controlling the light. Well, at least i'll able to strat learning.
Plan is based on the Chinatown Special. Well, i'll see. :)

Feedback

More than a week away from my previous post, and now, i've seen a video (from a community site) which was a good feedback from my "job".
In the previous post I've reported about a session on the Pandora's Box concert. Now, a small music video is out on youtube based on the pictures taken during the concert. Watermarking is a good thing. :)

What can I say. It feels so good. :)

Boat of the music

Finally i could take some holiday from my job. So, i was really happy when i was invited to an event on the Hungarian  Music Ship (A38).
It was a birthday party of the band (Pandora's Box) with a special guest (Időgép)
It started as a usual concert event. But when the lights went down  I was shocked. I've never faced a light setup like this before (as a photographer). Now, I know why i can read everywhere the description: ,,Constantly changing light".
It was. Red, blue yellow and robot lights. At the beginning, i took approx 40 shots with no success. Over AND underexposed parts, burnt out... Horrible.
But than. Somehow it became clear how i can record those lights.
It was a real challenge for me.

Summer in Greece

Last summer. I  was able to get some of my holiday and organize a trip to Greece. Destination was the island of Rhodes. For a guy like me the sea was something unbelievable miracle. And the whole island was something unexpected. The people, the sand, the sun, the sunburn ( :) ) the colors (all kind of blue, and white).
It was amazing. And of course, i took my DSLR to the holiday. That was the time, when i first tried to shoot in Manual mode, the first time when i forgot the camera on high iso, etc.
The best vacation ever. (also engaged my girlfriend there :) )

Getting to know each other...

Some days had been passed since my last post. But now it's time for the next one.:)
As an introduction i have to say. Nyikita and myself are now getting to know each other. A few weeks ago we just started it @ Septemberfest (The beginning) and a continued with this on KaoszFest (Chaos Festival). I took some days at home, taking pictures of the usual themes @ home (My cats etc, just to know Nyikita, The Nikon D90).
Based on the previous experiences I was looking forward to the opportunity for the next concert event. Unfortunately i couldn't get in to The Epica concert which was held @ Budapest. So the next possible was the Super Bad Heroes in the Crazy Mama.
At first time, i forgot one thing: the distance. I attached the 50mm lens at home, and i haven't picked up anything else.In the first half an hour i was really upset because of this. But later on i had to admit that this lens is perfect for these kind of events. (well, maybe in some time I would like to have one of this, but that is quite far in time from now)
I think i did a quite good work (took miles with walking around the stage to get the composition. Well, disadvantage of the fix lens) and despite that sometimes i screwed up the shot because i forgot to re-adjust my settings, and lost great moments because when that came, i was really at the other side of the room, i have to say. I've learnt a lot from the last two times when Nyikita and me were shooting bands. :) (Now i need to mention, that i'm not insane when i'm impersonate my things, but i really like to believe they have souls. And it easier to scold if you can name it:) )
And as always, lets share the results.

Photoshop....

First of all. I don't really like Photoshop. And the ,,Ok, i have a nice picture let's enhance to make it rock..." thing.

I like my pictures as they are. But sometime. I can feel something hidden in a pic. Let me show what am i talking about.

Last time, out at the Kaosz Fesztival there was a girl, who totally refused to be on a picture. She was waiting for a band, and that was all.

Well, i did not gave up. And when i saw her sitting on the steps, i saw something...

Original:

Seemd to be sad, but really she just covered her face with her arms. Well. What i saw...

Depression is invisible

I know, it's not perfect. As i told, i don't really like PS, and altering the image... But this time. I think it was useful.

Animal - The Cat

I've fond a lot of articles online about animal photography. Well, for me it was "easy".

I have two cats now. And we're recording the usual day by day happenings via a blog. For that the good pictures are essential. So i had to make good photos about the girls. For the record, i just took photos about the cats in the reporter style. So just be there, wait until something interesting happens, and shoot.

I have some favorite  of the few hundreds photo i took about them (and with these i was able to know my camera, how to use the manual mode, etc).

And the result. Well. :) I think i have the most beautiful cat in the world. :)

Chaos Festival

As time passes by, finally I got my first (temp) press pass. Thanks for the Radio Rockvilag who asked me to be there. The event was quite extraordinary for me, because this was the first time when i was able to take pictures in a real concert hall. With normal light conditions, etc. (And special thanks for Emese Mandi who was the offical photographer of the festival, and who gave me some basic advices about the lighting.)
So i was there, my second time in the front-stage, with my D90.
Soon, i realized to be a concert photographer not just simply means that to stand there, and make a point-and shoot.
During the first 2 concerts I've learned how the lights are working, and tried to use them. It was more difficult for me than I can tell. There were orange, and red. A lot of them. And it was not easy to move to a location before the stage where I can see the band, but the reds are not burning, and where the orange does not highlights the smoke (yes, there was a lot of it on the stage) and hides the band's members.
And than, I had to see my childhoods band on the stage. A lot of people behind me, and some security guards in the front. It was a pressure. But when I lifted my camera and looked into the viewfinder, everything was all right.

I have to admit. There is a huge difference between a small pub and a concert hall's lightning equipment. :)

Wedding

There was a time, when i was invited to on of my best friend's wedding. I also got the request to bring my camera and be a secondary (tertiary) photographer for the event. I have to admit, that i'm not good in portraits, and i never did anything what could be compared to taking pictures at a wedding. So, I've read a lot of blogs, and how-tos about wedding photography. We (my fiancée and myself) traveled to Veszprém, where the event was, with a lot of thing in my head. The warnings (no replay, no second tries etc) and the advices (follow the bride, take care about the exposure and so on). And the big day started. I've shoot approx. 600 pictures. And after I've shared them with my friend he told me my pictures were really good. It was really good to hear.
Especially after those hours with full of concentrating.  And the results, well I can't tell. But I've taken some really nice pictures.

Not really bad from a beginner, huh?

Fail on Pic Noir

Some time ago, i've decided to try myself in the Noir style picture composing. First of all, i think it was a failure for me, but i was able to start it, at least for one picture.
The main idea for me in the Pic Noir was to create, compose 2 color pictures which has the unique "feeling" of the old school american press pictures (or like the style of SinCity). So something, what i never tried before. The main idea was to:
1. Create soft, BW picture.
2. Play with the exposure, to have the skin and the background a "Burned Out" effect.

Well, during a festival i had a chance to capture nice genre moments from the people. But because that festival was mostly a concert photo event for me, i had to do all the work at home, sadly on PS.
And the result. Well, it seems nice, but i'm sure, i have a lot of things to learn in Pic Noir.
Ohh, and the picture. It was taken, when I've seen a couple and a girl walking from the camp, to the stage area.
They were far away, and they were little bit embarrassed  because i was on my knees, finger on the shutter, and waiting to get closer  enough to capture.

At home, ive played with the colours because BW was not an option for this. But i think this pic looks ok. (I know, won't be on a cover of a magazine, but i really like it)

An another favourite.

Today I have  picked on another photo as a favorite. It was taken approx 2 years ago at an air parade which was held on a national holiday at Budapest.
The funny story about the photo was simple. I've read a lot how to make good sport photos, but at that time, i only had my basic lens (18-55) and soon i had to realize that it's focal length is not enough for the optimal pictures. (the planes were too far from me, and i was not able to do closeups).
So, i had to change my mind, and try to do something else. So I've started to do something else. Change aperture to F22, and starting took off the main theme from the planes to the surroundings. Just to use the airplanes as a decoration. And the result: Well, it's hanging on my bedroom wall.

One year later, I had the change to shoot some pix on the RedBull Air race. And based on my prev experience, The results were much better (and also, i got my 70-300 lens with me)

I know. There is some dust remained on the photo from the lens But this time i like it (that's why i left as it is, just gave an auto tone and colors in photoshop (that time, i was shooting in jpg, instead of raw. I know, it's a real beginner thing to do, but at that time, i was more concentrating the how to make pictures, instead of the results)

My first Photo of day feeling

It's interesting. I'm now collecting my best of pics, and i've found the first picture which made me smile, and gave me the feeling:
"Yeah I took that one."

It was my real first concert photography event. I took my first DSLR camera (Nikol) a Nikon D40 with the kit objective attached to it.

The lights went out, and i almost immediately realized that. Ok. There is no light. I don't know what will happen. Shall I use flash?

And a few minutes later i was chasing the singer from the band and tried to get something to the picture which is not only black and blurry.

It took approx 50 expo while I started to record pictures (rather than the random lines, and light sources).

And than i got this. I was amazed. The total luck shot.

I haven't change on the picture. At that time i used PS only for cropping. So i was standing there and than the lead singer came off from the stage to the audience. He hugged a girl, and singed for her some verse from the song. And i was on my knees, and pressing the shutter.

When i stood up, and see what i was able to get. That was the time when I've decided to be a concert / band photographer. I know, i'm a newbie, and with approx 17000 expos, i will be a newbie for quite a long time. But this second of my life will be a good memory.

The beginning

Hi everyone!
This would be my first post on this blog. The reason, is for this blog to have somekind of online visibility for my pictures. Hope i will get several valuable suggestions to improve my skills on my hobby.

So let's start the fun part. :)
On last Saturday i was lucky to attend on a hungarian festival, the SeptemberFest. It was a free-to-attend festival, I was really afraid because i just got my new DSLR camera, and i planned to use it. The weather was quite cloudy,  light rain. So i was there and the concerts were about to start. Luckily none of the band took their own photographers (maybe they don't have any) and it was easy to get contact with them. The main problem was the StageMaster, who declared that I must not step to the stage, nor into the reserved part at the front of the stage. So it would be quite funny to stand in the rain, and make photos from the performances.
But thanks to Péter Schrott (lead singer of the band Tuzmadar) we were able to negotiate and finally i was able to start shooting.

During the concert it was really difficult to maintain the correct exposure, because of the (almost)unknown camera, and the FireDancers. They just appered on the stage, and start dancing with the flaming stuff. It was amazing.
But at least, i was able to shoot some good pic from the lady:

Lady with Flames

Of course, she was not the main topic of the concert, "just" an element of the show. But sometimes I forget to press the shutter, because i was just lost in her performance. :)
I think this was the photo of that day, for me.